Systems and methods for transaction and information management

ABSTRACT

Systems or methods for managing transactions within a controlled environment facility provide an information management engine integrating transaction functionality and telephone calling functionality, establish an account associated with a resident of the controlled environment facility, and use the information management engine to conduct transactions associated with residents of the controlled environment facility. The transactions include at least requests, by the resident, for deposits into the account by a party outside of the controlled environment facility. The systems or methods accept requests from the resident and utilize the telephone calling services of the information management engine to facilitate the request for deposit. The systems or methods may place calls to the individuals outside the controlled environment facility to interact with the individual, request the deposit and accept such deposits.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/602,233 entitled “Systems and Methods forTransaction and Information Management”, filed Jun. 24, 2003, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Thepresent application is also related to co-pending and commonly assignedU.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/135,878 entitled “InformationManagement and Movement System and Method,” filed Apr. 29, 2002, Ser.No. 10/135,883 entitled “Optimizing Profitability in BusinessTransactions,” filed Apr. 29, 2002, Ser. No. 10/360,248 entitled “Systemand Method for Account Establishment and Transaction Management UsingInterrupt Messaging,” filed Feb. 7, 2003, and Ser. No. 10/360,442entitled “Systems and Methods for Transaction AuthorizationDetermination,” filed Feb. 7, 2003, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is generally related to transaction systems, andmore particularly, to systems and methods utilizing informationcommunication systems for facilitating deposits into transactionsystems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a controlled environment, such as within a prison or jail facility,controlling access, information, interaction, and/or transactions isoften of particular interest. In a prison facility in particular, safetyand security is of paramount importance and, therefore, the number onejob of the personnel thereof is to effectively implement controls withrespect to the residents (inmates) thereof. However, such controlledenvironments often provide an environment much like a small city inwhich a number of individuals work and live, thus requiring variousgoods and/or services associated with civilized society. Accordingly,various exchanges of information, money, goods, etcetera may beperformed in association with individuals of a controlled environment,both within the controlled environment and external thereto. Forexample, an inmate residing in a prison facility may be allowed to placephone calls to friends and family outside of the prison facility.Likewise, an inmate may be allowed to purchase commissary items, such asthrough use of a prepaid account funded by friends and family, such aswhen visiting the prison facility or by mailing checks or money orderson behalf of an inmate. An inmate may also be provided medical services,such as dispensing of prescription medications.

Administering the aforementioned exchanges of information, money, goods,etcetera typically requires the time and efforts of the staff of thecontrolled environment facility and/or individuals associated withvarious service providers thereto. For example, prison and/or commissarypersonnel may be required to accept payments directly from visitors orreceive mail including payments, identify the individual resident forwhich the funds are intended, access an account associated with theindividual resident, and increment the balance thereof. Each such taskrequires time away from prison personnel's primary tasks associated withthe operation of the controlled environment facility and/or increasesthe costs associated with a service provider serving that population.Moreover, such tasks as accomplished today are typically largely paperbased and require appreciable manual processing, thereby furtheraggravating the directing of personnel's attention away from tasks moreprimary to the operation of the controlled environment facility andfurther adding to the costs. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical prior artcommissary process flow. In addition to issues with respect to takingtime and attention away from tasks of primary importance, theaforementioned exchanges may present increased safety and other issues.For example, increased contact between prison personnel and inmates canincrease the danger to the prison personnel, thus interaction associatedwith collection of monies by prison personnel for deposit in inmateaccounts can expose such personnel to claims of theft of such monies.Further, in an incarceration environment, using prison or jail personnelto retrieve account balances, and the like, is time consuming for thesepersonnel taking time away from their primary duties and causingdistractions which can present a security risk. Accordingly,inefficiencies exist with respect to the businesses and individualsconducting such exchanges associated with controlled environmentfacilities.

Individuals external to a controlled environment facility, which conductexchanges therewith are often less than satisfied with the experience.For example, depositing monies on behalf of a friend or family residingwithin a controlled environment facility typically requires deliveringsuch monies directly to the controlled environment facility or sendingchecks or money orders by mail, leaving little flexibility with respectto the forms and timing of payment. Additionally, the sending party maynot be provided with any confirmation of the monies received.Furthermore, it is typically somewhat impractical for a resident of acontrolled environment facility to request account deposits from thirdparties, as the resident's ability to communicate with parties outsideof the facility are typically restricted.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to systems and methods, which utilizeinformation communication systems for transaction and informationmanagement. According to embodiments of the invention, an automatedinformation management engine is provided enabling and facilitating thedirect deposit of funds into accounts, securely and conveniently, bythird parties. Embodiments of the present invention are particularlyuseful with respect to transactions and information managementassociated with controlled environment facilities, such as inmatefacilities (e.g., municipal jails, county jails, state prisons, federalprisons, military stockades, juvenile facilities, and detention camps),hospitals, nursing homes, camps, schools, and the like. Further, thepresent invention may be used by other controlled environment facilitiesas well, particularly those that have commissary or “store” facilitiesand where residents do not generally have much cash on their person.

The present invention provides systems and methods for direct deposit offunds into an account maintained for the benefit of a resident of acontrolled environment facility, preferably at the behest of theresident. These funds may be deposited into the account, which may be inthe form of a trust account or the like, for commissary or other use bythe resident. A party that may not wish to become responsible for aresident's account may be willing to make deposits into such an account,from time to time, particularly at the behest of a resident. Preferably,the present systems and methods facilitate the acquisition of suchdeposits by providing a manner in which the resident can initiate arequest for finds from a benefactor. Further, in accordance with thepresent systems and methods the request results in the benefactor becontacted to ask that the benefactor deposit funds directly into theresident's account. Preferably, this contact is carried out in anautomated manner using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology. Thepresent systems and methods may also make use of a terminal or the likedisposed in a facility, such as in a visitation area of a jail orprison, entry foyer of a nursing home, a nurse's station of a hospitalfloor, or the like, to accept deposits from visiting parties, such asmay be requested by a resident during a visit.

Screening may be used in conjunction with the present systems andmethods for such purposes as setting limits on deposits and the like, aswell as for investigative purposes. This screening may be carried out inreal-time or the screening may call a designated party when thescreening indicates that an alert is warranted.

A preferred embodiment of the invention utilizes a telephony system,and/or other information communication system, having access terminalsdisposed within a controlled environment facility for use by residentsthereof. Such access terminals may comprise general-purpose userterminals, such as telephones, computer systems, personal digitalassistants, etcetera, and/or special purpose user terminals, such askiosks, automatic teller machines, etcetera. Accordingly, a resident ofthe controlled environment facility is facilitated to utilize an accessterminal to conduct transactions or other desirable exchanges ofinformation, goods, services, etcetera. For example, an inmate in aprison facility may utilize a telephone system adapted according to thepresent invention to perform such functions as ordering items, such ascommissary items, medical items, and library books, for himself orothers (even individuals residing outside of the prison), inquire as tothe status of ordered goods and services, inquire as to an accountbalance available to the inmate, place phone calls, including prepaidand collect calls, receive information about court dates or otherappointments, receive special messages, announcements, and specialoffers, and/or the like. In accordance with the present invention, theresident may make use of these terminals to request deposits into theircommissary accounts by third parties, such as family or friends.

The depositing party may make deposits in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention in a number of ways, such as by the use of credit,or debit cards, check by phone, direct billing to their phone number, orthe like.

Embodiments of the present invention provide for direct interaction withusers, whether individuals residing within a controlled environmentfacility or individuals residing outside of the controlled environmentfacility, for transaction and information management using an intuitiveinterface, such as may implement voice and/or dual tone multiplefrequency (DTMF) input. Interactive systems of embodiments of thepresent invention provide voice response, voice recognition, and/orother information communication to provide prompting to users, to acceptuser input and queries, to respond to queries, to confirm transactions,to provide account information, etcetera. Accordingly, interaction forconducting transaction and information management is substantiallyautomated and integrated.

Interaction by users according to embodiments of the present inventionincludes various authorization and/or verification techniques. Forexample, voice print technology, finger print scanning, iris scanning,personal identification numbers (PINs), special codes, social securitynumbers, driver's license numbers and/or the like may be implemented toaffirmatively identify individuals for conducting transactions.Authorization and/or verification according to preferred embodiments maybe implemented to insure the identity of resident making a request.Authorization and/or verification according to preferred embodiments mayalso be implemented with respect to users residing outside of acontrolled environment facility. For example, embodiments of the presentinvention may implement account deposit authorization with respect to aprison facility to provide control with respect to individuals who maydeposit funds with respect to particular inmates.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention may be integrated withvarious aspects of transaction and information management such asdisclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/602,233 entitled“Systems and Methods for Transaction and Information Management,”incorporated by reference above. For example, prepaid accountmanagement, collect calling services, commissary services, and accountfunding are all integrated according to embodiments of the presentinvention, to thereby facilitate seamless user interaction for accountdeposit, account status inquiry, commissary ordering, and collectcalling. Embodiments utilize information technology already present in acontrolled environment facility, such as a local area network, anintranet, the Internet, etcetera, to provide communication andinteraction with third party suppliers and users desiring their goodsand/or services.

Moreover, interactive systems of embodiments of the present inventionoperate intelligently to facilitate and/or optimize use thereof. Forexample, embodiments of the present invention may operate to identifylow account value status and implement interaction to solicit deposit offunds. Such interaction may include notifying an individual associatedwith an account (such as a resident) of a current status and inquiringas to what actions are to be taken, contacting a secondary contact withrespect to an account (such as a family member of an inmate) to solicitfunds, and/or accepting funds via such means as check by phone, creditcard, automatic withdrawal, etcetera. Revenue opportunities, such ascommissions due to a controlled access facility and/or profits toentities providing goods and/or services, are preferably increasedthrough the aforementioned embodiments, facilitating entry of money intothe system. For example, by making it easier to get money into thesystem and/or by providing ease of operation, embodiments of the presentinvention enable the users to place orders more often, order more goodsand/or services, and/or maximize the value of their available funds.

Monitoring and/or intelligence gathering according to embodiments of thepresent invention may provide audit capabilities, such as to trace whathousehold deposited money into which accounts, how much money wasdeposited, when the money was deposited, or the like. Such monitoringand/or intelligence gathering functionality, particularly when basedupon information available from various integrated aspects oftransaction and information management, may be invaluable in providingcontrolled environment management.

It should be appreciated that preferred embodiments of the presentinvention substantially decrease costs associated with transactions,such as by taking paper and personnel out of the process as well asrelieving need to collect for purchases after the goods or services aredelivered. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention deployedwith respect to a controlled environment facility facilitatereallocation of man hours to achieve more value from personnel byallowing more time for such personnel to be engaged in tasks primary tothe operation of the controlled environment facility. Moreover, securityissues in particular situations, such as the aforementioned prisonfacility environment, may be decreased, e.g., interaction by prisonfacility and/or other third party service personnel with inmates may bedecreased thereby diminishing opportunity for security breaches.Likewise, primary aspects of a controlled environment facility, such assecurity in a prison facility, may be increased according to embodimentsof the present invention using authorizations and checks and balancesprovided by system automation and integration.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the invention will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. Itshould be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conceptionand specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by thoseskilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic ofthe invention, both as to its organization and method of operation,together with further objects and advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, thateach of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and is not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference isnow made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an implementation of typical prior art commissary service;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a controlled environment informationmanagement system deployed according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 shows detail with respect to aspects of the controlledenvironment information management system of FIG. 2 according toembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows detail with respect to an exemplary deployment of thecontrolled environment information management system of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram of operation of an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Controlled environment facilities, such as inmate facilities, hospitals,nursing homes, and camps, may be thought of as a small community orcity, perhaps walled or otherwise access restricted, wherein variousactivities occur within the community and between the community andthose outside the community in the daily operation thereof. Such acommunity includes a number of individuals and enterprises directlyassociated therewith, including management, staff, and inmates,residents, patients, or guests (hereinafter referred to as residents),and a number of individuals and enterprises indirectly associatedtherewith, including friends and family of residents, vendors,government agencies, providers of services to residents, and individualswith a connection to the facility or its residents. Information is oftenexchanged and transactions are often conducted by, between, among, andon behalf of the aforementioned individuals and enterprises inperforming the aforementioned daily activities.

It should be appreciated that in such a controlled environment, theremay be unique relationships, situations, and information which may beleveraged in providing management functions or in conductingtransactions. For example, information flowing from residents may bemonitored and/or processed in an intelligence area to ensure the safetyand security of those within the controlled environment facility andthose outside of the facility. Moreover, information with respect toindividuals and/or enterprises having an interest in residents of thecontrolled environment facility may be utilized in facilitatingtransactions, such as toll telephone calls and the purchase ofcommissary items. Accordingly, preferred embodiments of the presentinvention integrate deposit of funds and various functional aspectsassociated with a controlled environment facility to provide transactionand information management.

Thus, the present systems and methods preferably provide an informationmanagement engine having functionality for conducting transactionsassociated with a resident of a controlled environment facility. Thesetransactions may include requests initiated by the resident of thecontrolled environment facility, directed to an indicated individualoutside of the facility for deposit of funds to an account of theresident. This functionality also preferably conducts automatedcommunication outside of the controlled environment facility tofacilitate placing the requests. The transactions may include voiceexchanges between the resident and the engine and/or a voice exchangebetween the individual outside of the controlled environment facilityand the present system. Preferably, funds may be acquired from theindividual outside of the controlled environment facility usingtechniques such as check by phone, credit card by phone and/orelectronic funds transfer. The automated communication outside of thecontrolled environment facility to request a deposit may be invokedcontemporaneously with the resident requesting the deposit, or at sometime after the resident requests the deposit. The present systems andmethods may collect and analyze biometric data to identify the residentin association with conducting transactions, such as deposit requests.This biometric data might include voice print data, finger print data,iris print data or the like. Furthermore the present systems and methodsmay make use of two or more levels of identification. A first the levelof identification might include a first type of the biometric data. Asecond level of identification might include a second type of thebiometric data or a user supplied identification string, such as apersonal identification number (PIN), social security number, birthdate, mother's maiden name, a serial number, an inmate number, a driverslicense number, a government issued identifier, and/or the like.

Directing attention to FIG. 2, controlled environment informationmanagement system 210 adapted to employ an embodiment of the presentinvention is shown. System 210 provides transaction and informationmanagement within and associated with controlled environment facility200. Specifically, controlled environment information management system210 is deployed within controlled environment facility 200. Althoughillustrated as being deployed within the controlled environment facilityin FIG. 2, it should be appreciated that controlled environmentinformation management systems of the present invention may be deployedin a number of configurations. For example, embodiments of the presentinvention provide an information management system deployed external tothe controlled environment facility and having data terminals and/orother access points deployed within the controlled environment facility.Additionally or alternatively, information management systems may beprovided in a distributed topology, such as having server systems,application programs, and/or databases distributed throughout a numberof geographic locals, according to embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, controlled environment information management system210 may provide a number of access points coupled to a variety of userterminal equipment configurations. User terminal equipment utilizedaccording to preferred embodiments of the present invention may includepersonal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers,telephones (wireline and wireless), facsimile machines, kiosks, and thelike, coupled through direct links, such as wireline, cable, fiberoptic, or the like, and/or indirect links, such as network links (e.g.,local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide areanetworks (WANs), intranets, extranets, the Internet, cellular networks,the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and/or the like), privatebranch exchange (PBX) links, or the like. Accordingly, informationmanagement system 210 of the illustrated embodiment providesconnectivity to user terminals 222-1 through 222-M disposed withincontrolled environment facility 200 via direct connections, userterminals 221-1 through 221-N disposed within controlled environmentfacility 200 via indirect connections (here comprising a network ornetworks, referred to herein as network 220), and user terminals 231-1through 231-P disposed external to controlled environment facility 200via indirect connections (here comprising XML connections and/or anetwork or networks, referred to herein as network 230). It should beappreciated that information communication links utilized according tothe present invention are not limited to wireline links and, therefore,may utilize wireless, optical, and/or other information communicationlinks.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention,controlled environment information management system 210 is adapted toinclude intelligence/management functionality 211 andtransaction/commerce functionality 212. Preferably,intelligence/management functionality 211 provides for collection,storage, and movement of information for managing various operationalaspects of the controlled environment facility, including the managementof personnel, residents, vendors, and resources. Transaction/commercefunctionality 212 preferably provides for the instigation and completionof various transactions, including requesting and providing goods andservices, determining credit worthiness, verifying account balance andstatus, providing for payment, and providing for deposits such as directdeposit functionality 213. The aforementioned functionalities ofinformation management system 210 are preferably provided at anydistance and at any time.

It should be appreciated that, although intelligent/managementfunctionality 211 and transaction/commerce functionality 212 are shownin FIG. 2 disposed in controlled environment information managementsystem 210, various structural and/or functional aspects of thesecomponents may be provided by different entities and/or may be disposedinside of and outside of controlled environment facility 200. Forexample, a controlled environment facility may implement coretransaction/commerce functionality in the form of a call applicationmanagement system, and a third party commissary may interface enhancedtransaction/commerce functionality in the form of commissary servicesthereto. Additionally or alternatively, a third party (whether the sameor different than the above third party) may interfaceintelligence/management functionality with the transaction/commercefunctionality. Multiple systems, whether disposed remotely, locally, orcombinations thereof, may be utilized in implementing the aforementionedcontrolled environment information management system 210.

Directing attention to FIG. 3, an example configuration of structuraland/or functional aspects of transaction/commerce functionality 212 isshown. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, software/hardware (box351) may be coupled to a controlled environment call applicationmanagement system (box 352) via voice lines using a voice system (box353), such as may comprise a VRU. The voice lines may be internal to thecontrolled environment facility, such as provided by PBX 354, and/orexternal to the controlled environment facility, such as provided byPSTN 355. Software/hardware 351 may also be interfaced with a bankingfacility 360 or the like outside of facility 200. It should beappreciated that one or more of the components of transaction/commercefunctionality 212 illustrated in FIG. 3 may be disposed external tocontrolled environment facility 200, according to embodiments of theinvention.

Directing attention to FIG. 4, detail with respect to an exemplarydeployment of an embodiment of the present invention is shown. As shownin FIG. 2, controlled environment information management system 210provides transaction and information management and connectivity withrespect to a plurality of entities. For example, individuals disposedwithin controlled environment facility 200, such as residents ofcontrolled environment facility 200 having access to resident room 411(such as may comprise a hospital room, prison cell, camp cabin, commonuse room, etcetera), are provided access to controlled environmentinformation management system 210 for interaction therewith, such as viatelephone 221-2. Additionally, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, individualsdisposed in controlled environment facility 200, such as controlledenvironment personnel having access to administrative office 412 (suchas may comprise a patient information station, a doctor's office, ageneral administration office, a guard station, etcetera), are providedaccess to controlled environment information management system 210 forinteraction therewith, such as via computer 222-1. Computer 222-1 or asimilar service terminal may be located in a portion the facility suchas in a visitation room or lobby area. Individuals disposed outside ofcontrolled environment facility 200, such as friends and family residingat residence 421 are provided access to controlled environmentinformation management system 210 for interaction therewith, such as viacomputer 231-1 and/or telephone 231-2. Additionally, in the embodimentof FIG. 4, individuals disposed outside of controlled environmentfacility 200 are provided access to controlled environment informationmanagement system 210 for interaction therewith at locations 422 through424, such as may be associated with various businesses, serviceproviders, and/or the like, such as via any of terminals 231-1 through231-P. Controlled environment related business services providers 231,such as telephony service providers, commissary goods and servicesproviders, health care providers, etcetera, as may be disposed in and/oroutside of controlled environment facility 200 may be provided access tocontrolled environment information management system 210 for interactiontherewith, such as via any of terminals 221-1 through 221-N, 222-1through 222-M, and/or 231-1 through 231-P.

It should be appreciated that, although particular embodiments of userterminals have been shown or referenced above with respect to particularindividuals and/or locations, the present invention is not limited tothe use of any particular user terminal configuration or configurationswith respect to individuals and/or locations. For example,administration office 412 may additionally or alternatively includetelephones for providing interaction with controlled environmentinformation management system 210. Furthermore the user terminal maytake the form of kiosks or automated equipment capable of takingdeposits, similar to an automated teller machine. Moreover, there is nolimitation according to the present invention with respect to the numberof user terminals which may be provided with respect to an individualand/or location.

It should further be appreciated that, although particular individualsand/or locations have been shown or referenced above for interactionwith controlled environment information management system 210, thepresent invention is not limited to the individuals and/or locations ofthe exemplary embodiment. For example, embodiments of the invention mayprovide connectivity for interaction between a plurality of controlledenvironment facilities, if desired.

According to a preferred embodiment, controlled environment informationmanagement system 210 is deployed in association with a prison facility.In operation according to an exemplary embodiment wherein controlledenvironment facility 200 is a prison facility, an inmate may pick up aphone, such as telephone 221-2, and communicate information tocontrolled environment information management system 210 to accesslimited information and/or conduct certain proscribed transactions.Controlled environment information management system 210 may take thatinformation, or some portion thereof, and communicate it to an inmaterelated business service provider, such as controlled environmentrelated business services provider 431. This entity may, responsive tosuch information, provide a product or service to the inmate. Forexample, particular authorized goods may be delivered to the prisonerwithin controlled environment facility 200. Additionally oralternatively, services, such as medical care or telephony services maybe provided to the inmate.

The aforementioned resident's use of controlled environment informationmanagement system 210 is not limited to transactions for the acquisitionof goods and/or services. In accordance with the present invention aresident may utilize the aforementioned phone or terminal to place arequest through environment information management system 210 that athird party be requested to deposit funds in his commissary account.

According to preferred embodiments, account balances are maintained forindividuals using controlled environment information management system210, which may be utilized in paying for the aforementioned goods andservices. The illustrated embodiment, for example, includes accountbalance database 401 of transaction/commerce functionality 212. Accountbalance database 401 may comprise prepaid account balances and/or postpaid account balances and is preferably utilized with respect to varioustransactions conducted using controlled environment informationmanagement system 210. For example, payment for goods ordered by aprisoner or friends and family may be made by a transfer of credit valuefrom controlled environment information management system 210 tocontrolled environment related business services provider 431, such asusing statement system 402.

Funds may be provided to account balance database 401 in a number ofways, such as various means of deposit by friends and family of aninmate. For example, friends and family may deposit funds into thesystem via such techniques as sending a money order or a cashier's checkvia the mail or bringing cash into the prison at the time of visitationfor entry into the system, such as by administration office 412.However, to facilitate the deposit of such funds, preferred embodimentsprovide for indirect, remote, and/or electronic deposit, such as vialocations 422 through 424, electronic payment system 425, and paymentlockbox 426, such as shown and described in the above referenced patentapplication entitled “Information Management and Movement System andMethod.” Electronic payments may be made using a credit card, checkconversion, or electronic funds transfer, for example, via electronicpayment system 425, such as may comprise the Internet or a telephonysystem. Additionally or alternatively, a payment lockbox or lockboxes,such as payment lockbox 426, may be provided in association withcontrolled environment information management system 210 to acceptpayment, such as in the form of cash, check, money order, credit card,electronic fund transfer, etcetera. Such locations and/or paymenttechniques may be more convenient to such individuals and therebyfacilitate their depositing funds into controlled environmentinformation management system 210.

In operation according to a preferred embodiment, controlled environmentinformation management system 210 monitors, processes, and/or compilesinformation with respect to transactions and information processedtherethrough. For example, statement system 402 and report system 403may cooperate to derive information with respect to what householddeposited money for a particular inmate, what goods and services thatinmate ordered, and generate various reports about usage of the systemby individuals. Such information may be provided to investigativeservices of intelligence/management functionality 411 for analysis, andperhaps appropriate action. For example, intelligence/managementfunctionality 411 may be operable to collect data regarding depositsrequested by a resident, individuals outside of the controlledenvironment facility requested by the resident to deposit funds, and/orindividuals outside of the controlled environment facility makingdeposits in an account of an resident.

In accordance with the present invention transaction/commercefunctionality 212 includes direct deposit functionality 213 providingfor deposit of funds by an individual outside of the controlledenvironment facility at the behest of a resident of controlledenvironment facility 200. Preferably, direct deposit functionalityinitiates a telephone call to the individual outside of the controlledenvironment facility to solicit the funds. A call application managementsystem, such as box 352, may provide a telephone interface for use withthe controlled environment facility automated transaction processingsystem by the resident and the individual outside of the controlledenvironment facility.

Having described an exemplary deployment of an embodiment of the presentinvention, attention is directed toward FIG. 5 wherein a flow diagram ofoperation of embodiment 500 of the present methods for facilitatingdeposits into transaction system 212, via functionality 213, is shown.At 501 a resident of a controlled environment facility indicates that heor she wishes to request a deposit from a party outside said controlledaccess facility into a transaction account maintained by saidtransaction processing system for said resident. The request at 501 maybe initiated as a result of the automated transaction processing systeminquiring from the resident whether the resident would like to request adeposit from a party outside the controlled access facility. Thisinquiry might be made when a resident places a call, and/or when theresident's account balance has fallen to a predetermined level. Theindication at 501 may be received by the aforementioned automatedtransaction processing system and if a “name tag” for the resident isnot on file a recording of the resident speaking his or her name may bemade for provision to the outside party during communication of thedeposit request.

At 502 the identity of the resident is preferably verified. Verifyingthe identity for the resident might include, at least in part, theresident entering an identification string, such as a PIN, socialsecurity number, birth date, mother's maiden name, a serial number, aninmate number, a drivers license number, government issued identifier,and/or the like. Additionally or alternatively, verifying the identityof the resident might, at least in part, include collecting andanalyzing biometric data to identify the resident. The biometric datamight include voice print data, finger print data and/or iris printdata. The verification of identity may include using at least two levelsof identification. A first level might include a first type of thebiometric data with a second level using a second type of the biometricdata or a resident supplied identification string, as discussed above.

At 503 a telephone number of a the outside party from whom a deposit isbeing requested is obtained from the resident, such as by having theresident key the number in, or having the resident speak the number fora IVR unit. At 504 the telephone number of the outside party obtainedfrom the resident is screened to determine if the resident is allowed torequest deposits by the indicated outside party. The request by theresident may be flagged at 505, in response to the resident not beingallowed to request deposits by the outside party, for investigativepurposes or the like. In response to the resident not being allowed torequest deposits by the outside party, the resident may be prompted at506 to provide a telephone number of another outside party from which torequest a deposit.

If it is determined that a deposit request of the indicated party ispermissible at 504, The request may be assigned a transaction number orthe like at 507 and the transaction system and/or functionalityassociated therewith may then place and outbound telephone call to theoutside party at 508. The automated transaction processing system orassociated functionality may then communicate the deposit request to theoutside party at 509. This communication will preferably includeidentifying the requesting resident, such as by using the aforementioned“name tag,” and providing any other pertinent information, such as theresident's facility. The outside party will then, at 510 preferablyprovide an indication as to whether the party wishes to make the depositto the account. This indication may take the form of entry of a DTMFcode or a spoken instruction, which will preferably be accepted by theautomated transaction processing system and/or an associated IVR unit.In response to the party indicating that the party does not wish todeposit funds into the account, instructions may be provided at 511 tothe party for later depositing funds into the account. The instructionsmay be repeated, such as at the request of the called party.

If the outside party has elected to make a deposit at 510, the depositwill be received by the automated transaction processing system at 515.The deposit may be made using any of several techniques, such as checkby phone, credit card by phone and/or electronic funds transfer. Atleast a portion of the deposit is credited to the requesting resident'saccount at 516, such as by depositing the funds in a bank accountassociated with the facility. This crediting may also include variousbookkeeping functions such as recording the deposit as a transaction inthe account. Furthermore, the received deposit may be reported to atleast one third party, such as a controlled environment facilitymanagement system, a vendor associated with the controlled environmentfacility, and/or an investigative entity. A portion of the receiveddeposit may be paid to an entity practicing the present systems ormethods.

Embodiments of the present invention may operate to facilitatereplenishment of account balances, such as by invoking interruptmessaging to solicit funds as a minimum threshold amount is reachedthrough contacting a designated responsible party with respect to theaccount, as shown and described in the above referenced patentapplication entitled “System and Method for Account Establishment andTransaction Management Using Interrupt Messaging.” For example, anoutbound message, e.g., a phone call, electronic mail message, etcetera,may be sent by the controlled environment information management systemto one or more friend or family member designated to solicit deposit offunds upon detection of a minimum threshold amount. Additionally oralternatively, the controlled environment information management systemmay set a flag with respect to the account balance condition such that,the next time the responsible party is called by the user, interruptmessaging is invoked to solicit funds from the responsible party duringthe call.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, thescope of the present application is not intended to be limited to theparticular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, compositionof matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. Asone of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from thedisclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing orlater to be developed that perform substantially the same function orachieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodimentsdescribed herein may be utilized according to the present invention.Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within theirscope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods, or steps.

1. A system comprising: an information management engine for conductingtransactions associated with a resident of a correctional facility, theinformation management engine coupled to an inmate telephone forcommunication with the resident; said transactions including at leastrequests initiated by said resident of said correctional facilitydirected to an indicated individual outside of said facility for depositof funds to an account of said resident, wherein the informationmanagement engine coupled via a remote telephone or computer terminalfor communication with the indicated individual without directlyconnecting the resident and the indicated individual to make therequests for deposit of funds, and wherein said information managementengine further has functionality for collecting and analyzing biometricdata to identify said resident in association with conducting saidtransactions; an automated interactive voice response unit forconducting automated communication outside of said correctional facilityto facilitate placing said requests; a secure call applicationmanagement system for providing call connections between said individuallocated outside of the correctional facility and the resident that canbe accessed and monitored by investigators; wherein if said outsideindividual wishes to make said deposit, the automated interactive voiceresponse unit accepts an indication as to whether said individuals wishto make said deposit to said account; an automated transactionprocessing system for performing commerce transactions receiving saiddeposit, using a technique selected from the group consisting of: checkby phone, credit card by phone, and electronic fund transfer; and saidautomated transaction processing system crediting at least a portion ofsaid deposit to said resident account; and if said outside individualdoes not wish to deposit funds into said account, the automatedinteractive voice response unit provides instructions to said outsideindividuals for later depositing funds into said resident account. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein said transactions comprise voiceexchanges between said resident and said information management engine.3. The system of claim 1, wherein said communication comprises a voiceexchange between said individual outside of said correctional facility.4. The system of claim 1, wherein said automated communication outsideof said correctional facility is invoked contemporaneously with saidresident requesting said deposit.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein saidautomated communication outside of said correctional facility is invokedat some time after said resident requests said deposit.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein said biometric data comprises voice print data.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein said biometric data comprises finger printdata.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein said biometric data comprisesiris print data.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein said identifying saiduser comprises at least two levels of identification, wherein a firstsaid level comprises use of a first type of said biometric data.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein a second said level comprises use of a secondtype of said biometric data.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein saidsecond level comprises use of a user supplied identification string. 12.The system of claim 11, wherein said user supplied identification stringcomprises information selected from the group consisting of: a personalidentification number; a social security number; birth date; mother'smaiden name; a serial number; an inmate number a drivers license number;and a government issued identifier.
 13. A method comprising: receivingby an automated transaction processing system an indication by aresident of a correctional facility that said resident wishes to requesta deposit from a party outside said correctional facility into atransaction account maintained by said transaction processing system forsaid resident; verifying identification data for said resident, whereinsaid verifying identification data for said resident comprises, at leastin part, collecting and analyzing biometric data or other uniqueidentifier to identify said resident; obtaining from said resident atelephone number of the outside party; placing an outbound call by saidautomated transaction processing system to said outside party withoutdirectly connecting the resident and the indicated individual to makethe requests for deposit; communicating, by an automated interactivevoice response unit, said request to said outside party; if said outsideparty wishes to make said deposit, accepting, by said automatedinteractive voice response unit, an indication as to whether said partywishes to make said deposit to said account; receiving said deposit,using a technique selected from the group consisting of: check by phone,credit card by phone, and electronic funds transfer; crediting at leasta portion of said deposit to said account; and if said outside partydoes not wish to deposit funds into said account, providing instructionsto said outside party for later depositing funds into said account. 14.The method of claim 13 further comprising: recording said deposit as atransaction in said account.
 15. The method of claim 13 furthercomprising: reporting said received deposit to at least one third party.16. The method of claim 15, wherein said third party is a correctionalfacility management system.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein saidthird party is at least one vendor associated with said correctionalfacility.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein said third party is aninvestigative entity.
 19. The method of claim 13, wherein said creditingfurther comprises depositing said deposit in a bank account associatedwith said facility.
 20. The method of claim 13 further comprising:paying a portion of the received deposit to an entity practicing saidmethod.
 21. The method of claim 13 further comprising: repeating saidinstructions.
 22. The method of claim 13, wherein said placing anoutbound call, communicating said request, accepting an indication as towhether said outside party wishes to make said deposit, and receivingsaid deposit are carried out by an interactive voice response unit. 23.The method of claim 13 further comprising: screening said telephonenumber of said outside party obtained from said resident to determine ifsaid resident is allowed to request deposits by said outside party. 24.The method of claim 23 further comprising: prompting, in response tosaid resident not being allowed to request deposits by said outsideparty, said resident to provide a telephone number of another outsideparty from which to request a deposit.
 25. The method of claim 13further comprising: flagging a request by said resident, in response tosaid resident not being allowed to request deposits by said outsideparty.
 26. The method of claim 13 further comprising: assigning atransaction number to said request.
 27. The method of claim 13, whereinsaid verifying identification data for said resident comprises, at leastin part, said resident entering an identification string comprisinginformation selected from the group consisting of: a personalidentification number; a social security number; birth date; mother'smaiden name; a serial number; an inmate number a drivers license number;and a government issued identifier.
 28. The method of claim 13, whereinsaid biometric data comprises voice print data.
 29. The method of claim13, wherein said biometric data comprises finger print data.
 30. Themethod of claim 13, wherein said biometric data comprises iris printdata.
 31. The method of claim 13, wherein said verifying identificationdata for said resident comprises using at least two levels ofidentification, wherein a first level comprises using of a first type ofsaid biometric data.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein a second levelcomprises using a second type of said biometric data.
 33. The method ofclaim 32, wherein said second level comprises using a resident suppliedidentification string.
 34. The method of claim 32, wherein said residentsupplied identification string comprises information selected from thegroup consisting of: a personal identification number; a social securitynumber; birth date; mother's maiden name; a serial number; an inmatenumber a drivers license number; and a government issued identifier. 35.The method of claim 13 further comprising: recording said residentspeaking said resident's name for provision to said outside party duringsaid communicating.
 36. A method for managing transactions within acorrectional facility, said method comprising: providing an informationmanagement engine integrating transaction functionality and telephonecalling functionality for providing telephone calling services between aresident telephone of said correctional facility and a remote telephoneoutside of said correctional facility; establishing an accountassociated with a resident of said correctional facility; using saidinformation management engine to conduct transactions associated withsaid resident of said correctional facility, said transactions includingat least a request by said resident for a deposit into said account by aparty outside of said correctional facility and telephone callingservices; using biometric user identification technology or other uniqueidentifier to verify said resident; accepting requests from saidresident to said party outside of said facility for deposits into saidaccounts; using an automated interactive voice response to initiate atelephone call to the remote telephone of said outside party and tointerface with said outside party to acquire a deposit; if said outsideparty wishes to make said deposit, accepting, by said automatedinteractive voice response unit, an indication as to whether said partywishes to make said deposit to said account; receiving said deposit,using a technique selected from the group consisting of: check by phone,credit card by phone, and electronic fund transfer; and crediting atleast a portion of said deposit to said account; and if said outsideparty does not wish to deposit funds into said account, providinginstructions to said outside party for later depositing funds into saidaccount.
 37. The method of claim 36, wherein said utilizing saidtelephone calling services to facilitate said deposits comprises:placing calls to said individuals outside said correctional facility torequest said deposit.
 38. The method of claim 37, wherein said calls areplaced contemporaneously with said resident requesting said deposit. 39.The method of claim 37, wherein said calls are placed after saidresident requests said deposit.
 40. The method of claim 36, wherein saidutilizing said telephone calling services to facilitate said depositscomprises: said information management engine interacting with saidoutside party to acquire said deposit.
 41. The method of claim 36,wherein said using said information management engine to conducttransactions comprises: using interactive voice response to interfacewith users of said information management engine.
 42. The method ofclaim 41, wherein said interactive voice response includes voice commandrecognition.
 43. The method of claim 36, wherein said biometric useridentification technology is selected from the group consisting of:voice print technology; finger print technology; iris print technology;and retinal print technology.
 44. A computer program product having acomputer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereonfor use in managing information with respect to a correctional facility,said computer program product comprising: code for providing informationmanagement integrating transaction functionality and telephone callingfunctionality; code for establishing accounts associated with residentsof said correctional facility; code for using said informationmanagement engine to conduct transactions associated with said residentsof said correctional facility, said transactions including at leastrequests for deposits to appropriate ones of said accounts, saidrequests directed to individuals outside of said correctional facility;code for using biometric user identification technology or other uniqueidentifier to verify said residents; code for accepting requests fromsaid residents to said individuals outside of said correctional facilityfor deposits into said accounts; code for using an automated interactivevoice response to initiate a telephone call to the remote telephone ofsaid outside individuals and to interface with said outside individualsto acquire said deposits; if said outside individuals wish to make saiddeposits, accepting, by said automated interactive voice response unit,an indication as to whether said individuals wish to make said depositsto said account; receiving said deposits, using a technique selectedfrom the group consisting of: check by phone, credit card by phone, andelectronic fund transfer; and crediting at least a portion of saiddeposits to said accounts; and if said outside individuals do not wishto deposit funds into said account, providing instructions to saidoutside individuals for later depositing funds into said accounts. 45.The computer program product of claim 44 further comprising interactivevoice response functionality code for interfacing with users of saidinformation management engine.
 46. The computer program product of claim45, wherein said interactive voice response functionality code includesvoice command recognition code.
 47. An secure information managementsystem for conducting transactions associated with a resident of acorrectional facility, comprising: a plurality of access points adaptedto securely communicate with user terminal equipment, a first set of theaccess points coupled directly to secure user terminals located withinthe correctional facility and a second set of the access points coupledindirectly to user terminals located outside the correctional facility;a secure information management engine for collecting and storinginformation for managing personnel, residents, vendors and resourcesassociated with the correctional facility; an automated transactionprocessing system for performing commerce transactions, the commercetransactions comprising providing goods and services, determining creditworthiness, verifying account status, and managing payments anddeposits; a voice response unit coupled to the automated transactionprocessing system for performing commerce transactions, the voiceresponse unit coupled to the user terminals located within thecorrectional facility and to the user terminals located outside thecorrectional facility, the voice response unit adapted to initiate callsto parties located outside the correctional facility and to prompt theparties located outside the correctional facility to deposit funds intoaccounts for use by inmates of the correctional facility, wherein thevoice response unit interface with said outside parties to acquire thedeposit without directly connecting said inmates and said outsideparties; a secure call application management system operating undercontrol of the automated transaction processing system for performingsecure commerce transactions to provide call connections between theparties located outside of the correctional facility and the inmateswhich can be accessed and monitored by investigators; wherein if saidoutside parties wish to make said deposit, the voice response unitaccepts an indication as to whether said parties wish to make saiddeposit to said account; the automated transaction processing system forperforming commerce transactions receives said deposits, using atechnique selected from the group consisting of: check by phone, creditcard by phone, and electronic fund transfer; and crediting at least aportion of said deposits to said accounts; and if said outsideindividuals do not wish to deposit funds into said account, the voiceresponse unit provides instructions to said outside individuals forlater depositing funds into said accounts.
 48. The informationmanagement system of claim 47, wherein the information management enginefor collecting and storing information and the automated transactionprocessing system for performing commerce transactions are the samedevice.